Sophiea founded Climbers Association of Southern Arizona in 2015 to build an empowered group of rock climbers who give back to the community. As President, Sophiea dedicates thousands of personal volunteer hours managing all levels of the registered 501(c)(3) organization. He has forged collaborations with nonprofits and conservation agencies, including the AZ Wilderness Coalition, AZ Conservation Corps and the US Forest Service.

The destructive power of Hurricane Harvey, which made land over Texas this weekend, has been described by the National Weather Service as unprecedented and the full devastation of the storm is still unknown. Our thoughts go out to those who have been impacted, harmed and displaced by this terrible natural disaster. We also thank the brave men and women who have worked tirelessly and in grave danger to rescue people from the flood waters and to provide aid to those in need.

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, has selected 11 high school students from across the country to serve on its sixth national Youth Advisory Council, which is sponsored through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation.

The idea that we can and should use data to solve urban policy problems is widely accepted among policy makers, academic researchers and in the business community. Most mayors have accepted the value of data driven policy by signing on to what might be called the “smart city movement.” Not all urban leaders actually know what it means to be a smart city though.

This summer, Mohawk Industries partnered with a Georgia-based credit union to “crash” four schools and give them makeovers in the fourth annual Georgia United Credit Union School Crashers℠ program. School Crashers offers local schools the opportunity to apply for a facility makeover. In 2017, 330 schools submitted nominations for makeovers.

After eight years of planning, HELP of Southern Nevada has opened their new location of the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center on July 14 on Flamingo Road. The new 37,000 square-foot center provides services to youth at no cost and the residential and day programming enables youth to learn skills necessary to succeed as adults.

Once the country's fourth largest agricultural export, cotton is making its comeback to Haiti after a 30-year absence. Today, global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland, the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and Haiti’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Pierre Marie Du Mény, announce the reintroduction of cotton as an anchor crop in Haiti which will help revitalize farming, boost the economy and contribute to environmental restoration through a link to tree planting.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has led to extreme flooding in Texas over the past few days and damaged homes and businesses, displaced families and individuals, and left at least eight fatalities in the region. In the wake of disasters such as these, a multi-sector response effort is critical.

We are working hard to ensure all our associates in the affected area are safe and customers have access to the essential items needed during this difficult time. Associates have been working closely with the Red Cross and local government officials to understand how we can best help. At this time, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed at least $1 million in support, and our local teams will continue to provide extra assistance over the coming days and weeks as we learn more about the damage and what is needed.